Women’s rights activist made homeless

The Guardian, BEIJING

Tue, Jul 09, 2013 - Page 6

Authorities in southern China have left one of the country’s most prominent women’s rights activists, Ye Haiyan (葉海燕), homeless, according to accounts on social media Web sites by Ye and her supporters.

On Saturday, Ye was evicted from her rental home in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province. Guangdong security agents abandoned her on the side of the road with her boyfriend, Ling Haobo (凌浩波), and 14-year-old daughter.

Ling posted a picture online showing Ye — who has advocated on behalf of prostitutes, people with AIDS and abused children — sitting on the roadside surrounded by the family’s belongings, suitcases, appliances and sealed cardboard boxes.

“Zhongshan does not welcome you; Guangzhou does not welcome you either. I will break your legs if I ever see you again in Zhongshan,” one of the security agents said after leaving Ye on the roadside, according to Ling’s post on Sina Weibo, China’s most popular microblog.

Ye has returned to her hometown in Wuhan, Hebei Province, according to Yaxue Cao (曹雅雪), a Chinese writer and activist living in Washington.

Ye could not be reached for comment on Sunday.

“If there’s a mishap, I don’t have any other demands — I only hope that my able and kindhearted friends help me look after my child,” Ye tweeted on Saturday.

Attacks on Ye began last month after she launched an Internet campaign protesting against a string of child abuse scandals in Chinese schools, including one in Hainan Province, where a primary school principal allegedly raped six female students in a hotel.